Hunter: Chase Crutchfield
Points: 11 (5L, 6R)
County: Jones
Season: 2019-2020
Hunt Story
It all started with my dad and I getting a two-day pass to hunt a piece of property owned by Tony Brady of American Natural Resources. My dad and I were really excited to get to hunt this property because my dad had seen many good bucks just by riding around and working on the farm. Our pass to hunt was good for Thanksgiving day and the day after. We didn't get to go Thanksgiving morning because my dad had to cook turkeys for lunch. After lunch we went to the property, and I decided to hunt a clover field. By the end of the evening, I had seen 23 deer, 7 of which were bucks, and one really nice 8-point that I more than likely would have shot anywhere else, but I knew there were way bigger bucks on the property. I was really excited for the next morning. The next morning I decided to get in my climber and hunt some planted pines where my dad had seen many nice bucks cross. I climbed the tree about 6:30 a.m and waited for it to get light. It was almost 8 o'clock. I remember because I checked my phone at 7:58, and I thought to myself this is weird I haven't seen a deer in over and hour of hunting. Well, as I was putting my phone up I caught movement in the corner of my eye. I knew it was a buck as soon as he stepped out in the road I was hunting beside. I then realized I was facing the wrong way to scope him, so I decided to try to move the climber around the pine tree. It was loud, the buck heard me so I just had to be still. I eventually got my stand around and by that time the deer was in the pines. I then scoped him and all I saw was that he didn't have much more room to stick anymore points. I tried to stop him multiple times by grunting at him with my mouth but every time I tried there was always a pine tree blocking his shoulder. He made it out of the pines and started walking on the bottom road I was watching over. I then thought to myself that all he has to do is come up about 50 more yards, and I will have a clean broad side shot. You think he listened? No, he wheels around and starts heading into gone forever land. I quickly scoped him and realized he was only 5 yards from going in the woods but lucky for me he stopped. I had a gap to shoot through about the size of a car mirror, and the only thing that was showing was his neck. After that my memory is a blur, I just remember that as soon as the cross arrows hit him I squeezed the trigger. Then I remember trying to find the deer after I shot. I saw some more deer run off in the distance, but I could not find him. I was getting ready to text my dad and tell him I missed. I decided to scope where I shot him one more time. Then I saw the white on his legs sticking out from behind the pine tree that was blocking me. I still wasn't assured until I reached the bottom of the tree and saw that big white belly laying exactly where I shot him. I was relieved and headed to recover him. I walked up to him and it hit me actually how big the deer actually was. I grabbed his horns, and I could barely wrap my hands around his bases. I realized that he didn't lose his mass, he was thick all the way to the tips of his rack. This deer was going to score way better than any deer I had ever killed before. I called my dad and told him to get over here, that I had a stud 11-point on the ground. He pulled up and asked me if we were in Kansas because the deer had the color of a Kansas deer. He then asked where my stand was and I showed him. He said, "That's at least 150 yards and you shot him in the neck." I replied to that by saying, "He was about to get away and I had to make something happen." After going around and showing my buck off, everyone kept saying they had been hunting their whole lives and never seen a buck that big. I then realized how fortunate I actually was. I'm really fortunate to have been able to take that deer off a great piece of property. I would like to thank Tony Brady for allowing my dad and I to hunt. It was truly a once in a lifetime buck, and I'm glad I was able to take advantage of a great opportunity.
